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Fate of Central American refugee program in limbo

LAS CRUCES — A program that provides transitional living assistance to Central American asylum-seekers in Las Cruces may be limbo following an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump.

Fate of Central American refugee program in limbo

Unaccompanied migrant children take part in educational activities in 2016 at Fort Bliss’ Doña Ana Range Complex, near Chaparral, N.M. Starting in July, The El Paso Independent School District will take over control of its Migrant Education Program from the Region 19 Education Services Center.(Photo: Courtesy U.S. Secretary Of Health and Human Services)

LAS CRUCES — A program that provides transitional living assistance to Central American asylum-seekers in Las Cruces may be limbo following an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump.

In October, the Las Cruces Catholic Diocese reinstated “Project Oak Tree" and had since been regularly assisting Central American refugees with temporary shelter.

The program coordinates volunteers in Las Cruces who have agreed to host refugee families in their homes for about 24 hours before they’re sent to other areas of the U.S. to live with family while awaiting immigration proceedings, according to Deacon David McNeill, chancellor of the Las Cruces Catholic Diocese.

But in recent weeks, concerns have surrounded the program.

This week, McNeill said, marked the third week since the diocese last provided assistance to Central American refugees. Before then, the diocese had been receiving refugee families on a weekly basis.

It remains unclear why the refugees have stopped coming to the diocese for assistance.

At this point, McNeill said, there’s only speculation. It could be that there’s no need for the diocese’s service, he said.

But refugees stopped being sent to the diocese after Trump signed an executive order on travel that banned all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days and barred visitors from seven predominantly Muslims nations for 90 days. Syrian refugees have been banned indefinitely.

Admittedly, though, McNeill said last week he was unsure how the travel ban would impact Project Oak Tree.

“We’re not sure how this (program) is going to go on because of the president’s executive order,” he said. “We’re not sure whether he’s going to shut the door on the immigrants from Central America or not.”

McNeill, a lawyer, said he read Trump’s executive order with much uncertainty.

“It’s not clear what he means, and the language is very loose,” he said. “So we’re not whether we’ll get anymore (refugees) or not.”

Still, he said, the diocese has not shuttered the program.

Las Cruces Bishop Oscar Cantú said this week that he didn’t believe the travel ban would have an impact on Project Oak Tree. But he still decried the president’s order.

“We find it to be unethical,” he said. “As a church, we have never put a religious test on humanitarian assistance.”

He added, “In the gospel, when the Samaritan provides aid for the person on the side of the road who had been beaten and needed assistance, he did stop to ask him what his religion was.”

Project Oak Tree was created in the summer of 2014, at Cantú’s request, McNeill said.

Around that time, thousands of Central American refugees were flooding the southern U.S. border to escape violence from their homelands.

“Federal agents from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) asked us to help with humanity aid for these people from Central America who were seeking asylum,” Cantú said.

McNeill recalled that Cantú wanted a program running within a week. “We missed by three days,” he said.

Leonel Briseño, who is now a deacon, was been hired by the diocese to oversee the program, McNeill said. Briseño still oversees the program today.

By August 2014, an event hall at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral had been converted into temporary living quarters for refugees. In addition to cots and blankets, the refugees were provided with food, clothing and other resources, including free medical care.

The diocese had provided aid to about 280 refugees before federal authorities shut down the program in September 2014. “This system was much more humane, less costly on the government and it worked well,” Cantú said.

McNeill attributed the success of the program to an outpouring of community support. “This whole community has been very supportive of people who need real help,” he said.

The program remained dormant until last October, when federal authorities asked the diocese to bring it back.

But this time, diocesan officials sought to operate it with host families, instead of at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral.

“The volunteers will take a family of refugees into their own homes,” McNeill said, and provide them with shelter, food and “Christian hospitality.”

The host families then contact relatives of the refugees who are living in the U.S. The relatives, in return, make travel arrangements for the refugees. The goal is to unite the refugees with their family members within 24 to 48 hours.

Today, the program essentially operates as a backup shelter for the Annunciation House in El Paso, McNeill said.

The refugees who receive assistance in Las Cruces have been processed and released from custody into the El Paso community. All have been previously detained by border agents, turned over federal immigration authorities and released on their own recognizance.

After being released, the refugees are first sent to the Annunciation House. But if the house does not have room to provide them with temporary shelter, they are then sent to the Las Cruces diocese to stay with volunteers in Project Oak Tree, McNeill said.

Since October, the diocese has assisted a total 122 refugee families, or 283 people, McNeill said. A majority came from Guatemala, as well as El Salvador and Honduras.

While the fate of Project Oak Tree is unknown, McNeill said, “we’re willing to help these people as much as we can.”